The Return
by RedGodess666
Summary: Danny falls into a coma. After awaking, he discovers his worst nightmare. How will he cope with it? Rated T for possible foul language
1. Chapter 1

**Plot Bunny~! Hope you guys enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just the idea**

First, I was in the middle of a battle against Skulker, next thing I know my powers begin to fade and my vision slowly blurs. I find myself falling from 20ft in the air to the ground in a matter of minutes with no control over myself at all. The last I heard was the faint cries of my friends before it all went black.

Darkness. Darkness was all I saw for days. I could hear people coming in and out of my room over time. I couldn't keep track of them to save my life, though. Life? Am I even alive? Am I even dead? No, I'm certainly not dead if I'm still hearing the world around me. Am I asleep? If so, why don't I wake up? Come on! Wake up!

In the following what I think were days, I felt a cool tingling. Much like my ghost sense, but all over my body without release. This doesn't feel right. Am I changing somehow? What's happening?! Why can't I just wake up already?! There's only one thing I know for sure; I'm scared.

Over time, the tingling sensation was replaced by something worse. My mouth, no, my whole face felt like it was on fire as something grew in my mouth. My tongue. What's happening to my tongue? And my teeth. What's going on? Is this what fully, truly dying feels like? I don't like this. Oh, great! Now my ears feel weird too! I have to wake up!

I didn't wake up. The last thing that worried me was the heat coming from my head and the freezing in the rest of my body. I no longer care what's happening to me. I just want this to be over with. I want to wake up. I want to be back to my normal life. I want to see my parents, no matter how strange; Jazz, no matter how clingy; Sam, no matter how hypocritical; Tucker, no matter how annoying; heck, I even want to see Dash, Kwan, Paulina, Valerie! Everyone! I miss everyone. Nothing else matters to me more than waking up now.

Finally. I think I'm waking up. The light. Oh, how I missed the feeling of light in my eyes! It's funny how much you take for granted the simple things in life. My vision, though blurred still, begins to focus in on two figures. Sam? Tucker? I feel a groan escape my lips as I sit up in my bed. "What happened...?" They seem to slowly distance themselves from me as if… as if they were afraid of me. "Guys? What's wrong?" I rub my head and notice my white glove. I must not have changed back after the impact.

Sam was the first to speak. "Danny? Are you okay?"

"Besides getting knocked out cold earlier from that fall, why wouldn't I b-?" As I go to run my hands through my hair, I realize my hair isn't hair. My hair was scalding hot, but I barely noticed. What the heck? What is this? I continue to feel for my hair and find I can put my hand through it. I can feel my scalp! I look in the mirror near my bed, overtop my dresser and almost scream at what I saw. My hair was flames; my skin was seafoam green; my ears were elven; and, worst of all, my eyes were glowing a piercing red! I was an exact, younger replica of my evil older self.

"I'm inevitable." The words echoed in my head painfully as I stare in terror.

"H-How long was I asleep?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tucker take a nervous step towards me. "You were in a coma for 5 months, Danny. You never went back to your human form, so we couldn't just take you to the hospital."

"Your parents know now, by the way. Wanna go speak with them?" Sam spoke up.

I nod cautiously. Sadly, those two factors didn't even shock me after seeing what I am. "But first," I focus really hard and slowly turn human. This form changed too. My hair was now as silver as Vlad's and my fangs refused to leave. Luckily, my eyes stopped glowing.

A feeling of dread filled me to the brim as I found myself walking down the stairs.

**And that's that! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

I peek behind the corner at my parents. Before I could walk away, my mom grabbed me in a death grip. "Danny! You're okay! My precious boy!" I could feel Dad join in on the hug, followed shortly after by Jazz.

I try my best to escape the hug then remember my ghost powers. I phase through their grips and stare at them, too nervous to speak. My parents were caught off guard from me phasing through, but quickly recovered from the confusion. I stuttered"I-I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?" I look down at the ground.

My dad took a deep breath."Danny, we've had 5 months to process this situation." He confessed. "And we've decided we love you no matter what"

My mom smiled at me and put her hands on my shoulders. "We're proud of what a brave young man you've become." With that statement, it felt like the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.

I began to silently assess the situation. So, this is how I'm gonna look from now on I guess. Flaming hair, red eyes, and green skin as a ghost. White hair, pale skin, blue eyes as a human. And these dumb fangs that won't go away in either form! I was so deep in thought that I didn't realize my fangs were poking out.

My mom stares at me for a moment. "Danny, your fangs are poking out a bit; and when I say a bit I mean a lot."

"I bet I can fix that!" My dad chimed in as he pulls out a new drill looking invention with tiny robotic arms attached to it.

I flinch at the sight. "Erm, I think I'll pass! I like my teeth in my mouth!"

"But you just said th-"

I cut him off as I begin to back away."Trust me! I said nothing!" I back away so much that I trip over the coffee table.

He stares at me as I trip over the table. He looks back and forth between him and his invention. Then looks down, and sighs. "I'll never get to use this stupid thing" He pouts and goes down to the lab to put it away

I begin to stand back up, using the couch as leverage. "Oh, don't worry! Don't ask if I'm fine. Just move on. That's fine."

My dad begins yelling from downstairs, "Danny! Next time you catch a ghost, can you let me borrow it!?"

My mom sighs and glares in the general direction of the lab. Then she looks over at me. "Well, at least things are becoming normal again."

I scoff in a neutral manner. "Since when has our family been normal?"

She smirked at me softly. "It's as normal as you'll ever get." I receive a gentle pat on the back

My dad begins to yell from downstairs, "Oh! I got another invention! This one ummm…. I have no idea what it does actually, I just combined the portal gun, a Fenton Thermos, and this odd gear medallion I found in your room while you were asleep. Wanna try it!?" I could hear his heavy footsteps coming upstairs.

I tense up. Dad with time travel technology? We're screwed! I think of flying away, but I'm not fast enough. Here he is with that stupid invention. "Uh, Dad! That's not a good idea!"

Dad is holding a big Fenton Thermos with the medallion attached to the side as the button. He opens the thermos and points it as the tv. The suction luckily failed. "Ah shoot, what's wrong with this thing?" He looks inside the thermos and laughs. "Hey, Danny, look at this!"

I walk over and look inside to see myself as a child doing a silly dance. Dad picks up a random item that just so happens to be a very old gummy, and chucks it into the thermos. Little me picks it up and eats it.

I sigh at this. "I'm just going to go to my room now." I go upstairs quickly.

The following week I return to school with a fresh haircut and a beanie to cover it. I don't need anyone making the connection between Phantom and I. My fangs were bad enough, but manageable.

As I pass through the halls, I can hear people whispering about me. Rumors upon rumors about why I was gone so long. Not that it bothered me. Things certainly had returned to normal besides that. I still get wailed on by Dash, I still hang out with Sam and Tucker, and I'm still practically ignored in class. Why did things feel so different, though?

I shrugged off the thought and continue grabbing my things for class from my locker. A cold chill ran up my back and a puff of air came from my mouth. Ugh.. Not now! I haven't fought ghosts since I woke up. I'm not ready to hear the screams of fear from my new appearance.

A cry of "Beware!" broke me out of my thoughts. Perfect! An easy target. I could just go ghost, fight, and be done before the final bell for class! Right?

How wrong was I. After I ducked into my locker to change, I lost all control of my actions. I pounced on Box Ghost like a wild cat and began wailing on him. No hesitation whatsoever. When I was done with him, there were too many holes to count. I sucked him into the thermos and changed back.

Why was the room spinning? Or was it my head? I tried to ignore it. But when I bent down to grab my backpack, everything began to fade to black. I quickly stood up back up. Big mistake. I fell straight on my rear and held my head.

I guess Sam had been in to hallway and saw what happened because, next thing I knew, she was checking on me. "Danny? Danny! Are you okay?" I looked at her blankly for a moment then came to my senses.

"Y-yeah. I think so."

"What happened?" She helped me stand up and made sure I was stable enough to stand on my own.

I paused for a moment, still coming to grips with what happened myself. "Well, the Box Ghost came. I went ghost. Everything else is a bit hazy. I guess I got him, considering he isn't here."

She seemed to be thinking the same thing I was. "Why did you black out?"

"I have no idea." As I tried harder to recall the previous events, the room began to spin again.

"Maybe we should go to the nurse." I didn't reply and let her guide me there.


	3. Chapter 3

Since that day, I've had lots of early trips home from the nurse. Something's definitely wrong with my ghost form. Every time I change back, I get sick in some way or another. And I never fully remember what I did as Phantom. The only true evidence of the things I've done is on the news.

I haven't harmed any humans…. yet. That's good. Let's hope it never gets that far. Even Mom is getting scared of me at this point, though.

I flick on the news in my room to see the latest damage. Still no civilian death, but I did crash into the Nasty Burger. The destruction was worse than it seemed at first. Luckily, they close on Sunday, so no one was there. If I hurt anyone, I don't know what I'd do.

I turn off the TV and flop down on the bed. These after battle migraines have been getting worse and worse. It feels like someone shot me through the head. Perhaps I was shot... God, I hate these blackouts.

There's a knock at the door. I groan at the sound. "Come in." It was my mom. I back up to the farthest corner of my bed and hug my knees. I'm so afraid. I can't let myself touch her! What if I hurt her? What if I-...? No, I can't think like that. I'd been so lost in thought, I hadn't realized I'd been staring into space.

"Danny? Danny, sweety, are you okay?" I flinch back when she touches my shoulder.

"Yes! I'm fine! Now leave!" I've been hiding myself in my room lately. I've never left unless I'm going to school. Even then, I've been leaving the house through my bedroom window.

"Danny, I know what you're going through is tough, but-"

My eyes glow furiously. "No, you don't! You don't understand!" My hair begins to flame to emphasize my anger.

She backs off. It was obvious that she was trying to hide her fear. She's seen what I am capable of. She knows I can hurt her. That fact is what hurts the most.

I take a deep breath and my hair and eyes return to normal. "I'm sorry, Mom. I don't know what's gotten into me lately. Trust me, it scares me too."

"I never said I was scared of you, sweety!"

"Let's just say, you're a terrible actor. Don't give up your day job. So, why'd you come in here?"

"Oh! That's right. Sam's here."

I think for a moment then nod. "Okay. Tell her to come in here"

She leaves the room for a moment then Sam appears in my doorway. "How's the migraine?"

I smirk at how upfront she is. "A little bit better. What'd we do in English?"

"Finished reading The Graveyard Book." She sits on the edge of the bed and looks at me. "You would've liked it. Too bad you haven't been able to stay a whole school day lately."

I look down at my socks grimly. "Can we not talk about that, Sam?"

I can hear the frown in her voice. "You have to talk about it eventually." I look up and see her moving closer to me on the bed. "I can tell it's getting worse."

As she's almost shoulder to shoulder with me, I look at her with warning eyes. "Sam. Don't get any closer!"

"I'm not afraid of you, Danny! I know I can help! Just let me help you!" She tries to hold my hand, but out of reflex I yank it back. She looks me directly in the eyes. "Please. Danny. I just want to help... I don't know how I could, but I want to." She tries to grab both of my hands this time to prove she's not afraid. I managed to prove that theory wrong.

I pull my hands away and use one of them to push her away by her face. Little did I know, I had a flaring ectoblast in that hand from all the frustration. She screams.

I finally get brave enough to look at her and what I see is definitely not pretty. Sam has her hands over her right eye as blood seeps through. She's in such a state of shock that I don't think she can feel the full pain yet. That doesn't stop my heart from breaking, though. I get off the bed and start backing away from her, tears welling in my eyes. "Sam. I-i am so sorry!"

My mom bursts through the door and is in shock at what she sees. She runs over to Sam to check on her. Then all eyes are on me.

I look down at my bloodied hand in panic then back up at them as I continue to back up to the wall. "It was an accident! I swear! I didn't mean to hurt her!" I sob and cover my mouth with the bloodied hand. The smell makes me sick.

In a last stitch effort to pretend it isn't real, I phase down to the basement. I rush to find a towel or something to get the blood off. I am so grateful when I find one.

The tears continue to trail down my cheeks uncontrollably as I pace back and forth. "What have I done?!" I claw my hands into my hair. The leftover blood on my hand stains brightly in my white hair.

I nearly scream when I hear something move. "Please! Don't be mad Mom!"

I could feel my dad staring at me from behind. "Why would your mom be mad at you?" I turn to look at him and he notices my tears. "Danny?" He comes over to me a bit worried. I almost never cry. "What's wrong?"

I look at him about to speak and tell him. But, all I could squeak out through a strong sob was "I'm sorry." Then I quickly turn around and rush to the portal in an attempt to escape. I forget to open it first, so I end up slamming into the door. I realize the fact it's closed and run to the keypad. I enter the password as I talk to myself. "I have to leave! I have to hide! I can't hurt anyone else!" I dash into the Ghost Zone and vow to never come back.

The last thing I hear before I disappear into the Ghost Zone was the cry of, "No! Danny! Wait!" from my dad.


	4. Chapter 4

I find myself floating alone in the Ghost Zone, still human. The voice. It speaks to me in it's deep, silky, familiar tone. "Dannnnn-yyy. Daaannnn-y."

I listen to it curiously as I sniffle and wipe some tears from my eye. "What? What do you want?"

The voice speaks. "Sam will never forgive you! You might as well make yourself cozy in here because you have no one left in the human realm that really loves you!"

"No! You're lying! My family loves me! My friends love me!"

"Oh? Do they? Do they really? I think they were just faking smiles because they were scared of you! None of them ever loved you to begin with! They just didn't want you to kill them."

I curl in on myself and hold myself tight as he speaks. The tears begin to return. "No! It's not possible! You're wrong!"

"No one loves you! No one wants you! You're better off hiding here than suffering out there!"

As a defense mechanism, I go ghost and hold myself tighter. It's as if I'm trying to avoid a bully's kick to the gut. For the first time in forever, Phantom and Fenton are thinking one in the same. We're thinking "Run. Hide. Don't burden others with your existence."

I did just that. I found an unoccupied island and built my new home. A small castle. Fit for me, myself, and the voices in my head.

I thought doing this would quiet or at least calm the voice. It didn't. The voice has been stronger; more demanding. It makes my head ache painfully as I sit on my throne.

"You can fix everything. All the mistrust. All the hatred! All of this pain can go away! Just do one simple task!" I listen silently. My sanity... I think it's slipping. "Do it! Do it! Do! It! DO IT! DO! IT! DO IT, YOU PATHETIC FOOL!"

This persists for days, perhaps weeks. I lost track of time as I sat alone in my castle.

The louder and angrier the voice got, the more my head hurt and my ghost instincts tried to take over. I finally give up the fight when the pain became beyond unbearable.

The voice continued to chant one word after the other, "REALITY! GAUNTLET!"

I let out a raging growl. "NO! I REFUSE!"

As I stand hectically from my throne, I catch a glance of myself in the mirror… No! It's not me! The face! It's too bitter! Too angry at me to possibly be me!

My theory is proven when it begins moving independent of my will. The reflection looks me deep in the eyes and raises a hand. It forces my own hand up. It smirks! It smirks at this as if it is realizing how much control it has over me! My hand moves to my throat, joined by my other hand as they squeeze tight and choke me.

I find a way to resist it with the last of my sanity. I remove my hands from my throat and run to the mirror, blasting it out of existence! "I refuse. I REFUSE TO LISTEN TO YOU! I WON'T FIX ANYTHING!"

"Terrible choice! You need to find the Reality Gauntlet! NOW!"

I whimper from how loud the shout was. "O-okay"

"Excuse me? What is that? Is that weakness?! YOU WON'T GET ANYWHERE WITH WEAKNESS!"

I growl once more. It almost turns into a wail. "I'LL DO IT! I'LL FIND THE GODDAMN GAUNTLET! JUST TELL ME WHERE I CAN FIND IT!"

That seemed to have shut up the voice. It didn't tell me how at all. "I guess I'm on my own once again..." I look at my reflection in the broken glass and begin to laugh. I don't even know why I'm laughing! But, it just feels so good to laugh!

Once my laughing fit subsides, I head out. Out to the human realm once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: This chapter will be from Sam's perspective. This is what happened with her during the events of chapter 4. You're welcome to skip this chapter, but important stuff happens, so you'd be confused.**

I watch the doctor and nurse leave with my remaining eye as I lay here in my hospital bed. Once they're gone, my focus goes to the ceiling and my thoughts become more coherent.

"Why...? Why did he do this to me? Was it an accident? Was it intentional? No….No. It had to be an accident! Danny cares too much about me to hurt me on purpose! But...What if it was on purpose? What if Clockwork was right? What if Danny was inevitably going to be evil? Oh! I shouldn't have ignored his warning! He's the ghost of time for crying out loud!" My head pounded from both the pain and frustration. Perhaps I should rest for a bit. It doesn't take long for sleep to wash over me.

In a few days time, the doctors let me go back home. Unfortunately I'm no longer allowed to drive until I'm fully used to having only one eye. I completely understand why, but that rule is keeping me from visiting the one person who could help me. There is no way I could convince my parents to drive me there now.

All my parents want me to do is rest. Well, I'm tired of resting. I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines! I'm ready for my new responsibility!

"No."

I'm taken aback by my peer's quick response. "Excuse me? I haven't even asked you anything yet!"

Her blazing brown eyes meet my amethyst eye to a t. "I know exactly what you're going to ask. And the answer is no."

I slam my hands on the lunch table and stand back up. "Look, Valerie! I know you've been through a lot, and I have too! That's why we need to work together! We have to stop Danny Phantom!"

"Now that's more like it." I could practically hear the purr in her voice. "Alright, goth girl, I'll give you a shot. Meet me at Vlad's after-school."

I smirk. "Didn't know you two were on first name basis."

"When you're forced to work with him for so long, you get used to it."

"Ah,Valerie! How nice of you to visi-..." He stares me down angrily for a moment before continuing. "And Miss Manson. It's always a pleasure to be blessed with your acquaintance." he announced with a hint of sarcasm.

"Vlad, she's on our side now."

"I see, and why would we need your help to be rid of the young ghost?"

I glare at him. "Who said I was here to help you and not myself, Masters?"

Vlad develops a small smirk "Of course, how silly of me. But why would I want to help you? What can you offer me for my support?"

I get closer to Vlad and speak in a tone only we can hear. "Something tells me Val doesn't know your little secret. If you'd like to keep her on your side, I suggest you help me with what I need." I step away with the last word so I can look him in the eyes to make my point clear.

Vlad stares silently at me for two seconds and contemplates what could go wrong "So be it, Ms Grey will be in charge of preparing you to fight Phantom, and not die in the process."

Val smiles behind me. "He has a training room here. So, meet me here every morning at 5."

I smirk at Vlad. "There's one more thing I ne-" I realize what Val just said and turn to her. "5 in the morning?! Really?!"

"Do you want this or not?" She retorts.

A sigh escapes my lips as I turn my attention back to Vlad. "Anyways, I need a place to stay.

Vlad turns around and starts walking away, as he does, he irrately informs me "Up the stairs, 6th door on the left. There is a king sized bed, the room is red and black with midnight blue walls. I have a feeling that you will enjoy this room's color scheme the most. You may stay as long as you are being trained, but no longer than that. Dinner will be served within the hour." Vlad turns a corner and goes to the next floor up, leaving Val and I alone again.

Val leaves not too long after and I head upstairs to my new room. He wasn't wrong; I do quite enjoy the color scheme.

As I pass the dark wood vanity I catch a glimpse of myself and cringe. I don't think I'll ever get used to my new appearance. I'm just glad I still have the bandages on.

Perhaps now would be a good time to call my dad. I sit down and get out my cellphone. I flip it open and dial his number. He didn't pick up. How typical. They either are doting on me like crazy or they're too busy to care.

I take a deep breath and leave a simple message. "Of course you wouldn't pick up a call from me. Well, now that I don't have your attention, I'd like to inform you that you'll probably never see me again. I've found a better place to live. Goodbye, dad."

5 o'clock, right on the dot, I am called down to the most uncomfortable dinner I've ever attended. And that's saying a lot. This man is more of a fruitloop than I thought! He decided just because I'm staying over to make a three course meal including a turducken with proper table setting and all.

I awkwardly look up from my plate at him. "Um, I'm a ultra recycle-o-vegetarian. Sorry, but I just can't eat this." I push my plate away.

"That is quite unfortunate" Vlad claps twice, and a butler comes to his assistance " Go get some grass from out back, I'm sure Ms Manson here would love to eat what we wipe our feet on" the butler bows and pulls out a shovel and a bowl as he goes outside.

I look at the butler. "D-don't worry about that. I can eat normal fruits and vegetables just fine! I'll get it myself." I get up and go to the kitchen. This is going to take a lot of getting used to.

I rummage through the cabinets and the fridge. Not a fruit or vegetable in sight. Not even tofu! All there is is meat, a shit ton of cheese of different varieties, and crackers. Absolutely ridiculous!

Despite my frustration, my stomach put in a solid, protesting growl. I grab myself a packet of Ritz crackers and go to sit back down at the table.

I mumble to myself, "Note to self: buy seeds and plant a few fruit trees in the backyard."

The next morning wasn't any better. The beginning of training wasn't necessarily difficult it was the amount of things she had me do at once.

I felt like Tucker training for the presidential fitness test. Today we were focusing on our upper body strength so I can manage the weight of the weapons. As if I couldn't already. 50 push ups, 80 pull ups, 50 push ups with her foot on my back, and, to finish it all up, target practice.

That was absolutely humiliating! At first I couldn't figure out how to activate the suit. Once I activated it I just could not balance on the board. I have to give Valarie some credit, this is definitely harder than it looks.

We kept training for days, cycling through the different muscle groups to train together. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. And months turned into a year. With every day I got better and better.

Valerie and I are even battling as a team now. Sure, these ghosts we fight are no Phantom, but it's still teamwork and friendship. That's what matters.

Danny... While I hate him now, I can't help but miss him. I glance over at the calendar. "Oh... I didn't know that was today." It just doesn't feel like it's been a year since he... Since he... Since he betrayed me! I can't let my old feelings cloud my judgment!

Valerie slams open the door to my room. "Sam! Get up! We have a Phantom sighting! We have to go!"

I practically give myself whiplash by turning my head so fast. "Really?! This isn't a joke or anything, right, Val?"

"Would I joke about such a thing?! Now, let's go!"

I grab my board and rush out the door with a final thought. I definitely don't feel the same. With that, I slam the door and run.

**Oh no! What is Danny up to? What will happen to Valerie and Sam? Will they make it in time? Will Danny win? Why am I asking you all these questions? Tune in next time to find out!**

**No, seriously, thanks for reading and reviewing, guys. It means a lot to me that people like what I write. You guys really motivate me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Talk to you next time.**


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